John AdamsLife: October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826, born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Terms of Office: March 4, 1797 - March 4, 1801 (1 term)
Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (1797-1801)
Political Party: Federalist
I would give our second president, John Adams, a B- because of how he handled the situations that were thrown at him, such as the issues between the United States, Great Britain and France; and the legislations, whether they were good or bad, that he passed. Moreover, he did what he thought was right for the country instead of doing what would make him a popular political figure. To illustrate, Adams attempted to make a peace treaty with France even though many people, inculding a part of his cabinet, frowned upon it. Therefore, even though he was greatly unpopular by the end of his term, he deserves this rating for his decision-making skills and ability to take control of bad circumstances.
The most important goal that John Adams tried to accomplish had to do with the foreign relations with France and Great Britain. Adams, unlike his opponent Jefferson, saw France as the larger threat to the United States, and despite many Federalists' views, he wanted to make peace with France, not war. At first, he was unsuccessful in this goal because of the fact that the French demanded $250,000 before they would even consider trying to make something work between the two countries. At this point, it seemed as though Adams had failed, especially since he immediately began preparing for a war when he heard of the news. The Republicans, however, wanted to see the documents that described the meeting, since they thought he was overreacting. It became known as the XYZ Affair because he substituted the three frenchmen's names with these letters. Americans were outraged and wanted to go to war with France, but since they were unprepared for a war, Adams decided he still wanted to try for peace. Adams then sent a second peace committee to Paris where France agreed to neutrality in the bodies of water and release the U.S. from their agreement they made from the Revolution. America, in turn, made France one of their trading partners, which evidently sealed the deal and made Adams' goal successful. His two other goals were much smaller and less referred to in history. The first was, like so many of the first presidents, to strengthen the federal government and the entire government system itself. This goal is extremely hard to tell if he succeeded in contributions considering the first several presidents were all working towards the same goal. The second of the smaller goals was that Adams wanted to have the Federalist Party more powerful than the Republican Party, just like most presidents worked to make their political parties stronger. He completely failed in this goal, due to the fact that he actually divided the Federalist Party into two distinct groups by the end of his term.
For the most part, John Adams had a relatively good relationship with his Congress due to their political parties and the bills they sent for approval. John Adams never once vetoed a bill during his term in office due to his firm belief in separation of powers. Not only that, but there was a slight majority of Federalists in both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the time. He signed the Alien and Sedation Acts in 1798 which made it more difficult for immigrants to become citizens, enabled the president to get rid of any "alien" thought of as dangerous, allowed him to gather and put "aliens" in prison while at war, and anyone who bashed the government would be fined or imprisoned; however, all parts were either repealed or expired by 1802. The other bills he endorsed included federal taxes on property, several naval ideas, the Judiciary Act and the Logan Act. The Judiciary Act of 1801 was passed after Adams knew he was not reelected. Basically, it ensured that Republicans would have a balance of powers, due to the now overwhelming number of Federalists in the Judiciary. The Logan Act, which states that individuals may not negotiate on behalf of the United States without the government's consent still remains in effect today. Overall, due to the fact that Adams' own party was dominant in Congress, though not by much, and he did not veto any bill that passed through, it can be presumed that he had a relatively decent connection with his Congress.
John Adams is considered to be one of the least remembered presidents in United States history; however, he did make some decisions for the country that had both constructive effects and unhelpful ones. I would say the most positive outcome of a decision made by John Adams would be his choice of making peace with France. Although this selection split his political party two different ways, it had the effects of avoiding a war and that Thomas Jefferson was able to make the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Considering the young nation had just declared itself as a country about twenty years before, it was not a good idea to get involved in warfare. John Adams evidently saw this issue, which is why he decided to pursue peace. Furthermore, had Adams not made this important judgment without his political party, the Louisiana Purchase would never have been made from the French. Jefferson's timing of the negotiations with the French were impeccable, but not possible if not for Adams. Had the United States been at war with France, it would have either been still happening or the countries' relationship with one another would have been tense. Either way, Jefferson could not have made the purchase, therefore shrinking the present size of America by 530,000,000 acres of land. Evidently, these were a good results of Adams' decisions that he made about France.
Despite the clear evidence of Adams' success with some decisions, he made some poor ones as well. For example, he signed off on the Alien and Sedation Acts in 1798. These acts were crude and extremely unconstitutional due to the recently added amendments (the Bill of Rights). For the most part, the Alien Act was discrimination seeing as they were mainly aimed at Jeffersonians (followers of Thomas Jefferson, Democratic-Republicans). This is because when people immigrated to the U.S., they were mostly of lower-class, whereas Federalists were upper-class. The Federalists did not usually allow these immigrants to join their political party, so the newcomers became Democratic-Republicans. The Sedation Act stripped the new Americans of their freedom of speech and the press. If a citizen was caught discussing or writing negative comments about the government, they could be fined or even face a prison sentence. Though he did not draw up the documents and send them to Congress, John Adams never once vetoed anything sent to him. This implies that he did, in fact, approve the idea. If he had not signed off on it, it may not have overridden, therefore never put into effect in the first place. As one can see from the listed evidence, John Adams made both decisions with beneficial and disadvantageous consequences.
A decision made by John Adams that affected the future people of America was to help create the United States navy department. Clearly, the navy department still exists today and protects our borders by ocean and sea. Many more boat or ship attacks might have been present throughout history if it were not for the creation of this department. Legislation was also passed to develop the size and capabilities of the navy. Ultimately, Adams wanted the United States to be less dependent on Great Britain and be able to defend ourselves against enemies (at that time France). In the establishment of the navy department, he also created another job in the presidential cabinet, which obviously affected at least forty people in the sense that it was their job at some time or another. If Adams had not expanded the navy many men and women may not have been employed and/or the country could have been under constant attack from all water-bound sides. The Navy, though something we may take for granted, is very important in our nation today.
Primarily, the United States was better off with John Adams serving one term as our second president. He made many good contributions to the devolopment of the country, especially setting up the "mood" for the Louisiana Purchase. Some historians say that Adams may have been elected for another term as president had he not upset his party (mainly Alexander Hamilton) by creating peace with the French. By doing so, Adams actually killed any shot of him being reelected. However, we, as a country, needed this peace in order to gain the land we did from the Louisiana Purchase. His presidency was mostly positive, except the Alien and Sedation Acts of 1798. Since an excessive amount was not accomplished during his term, these Acts pulled his overall rating from about an A- to a B-.
Bibliography
"Adams, John (1735–1826)."Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. Leonard W. Levy and Kenneth L. Karst, eds. 2nd ed. 6 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
Bailey, Thomas A., Lizabeth Cohen, and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 12 ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
Degregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents). 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.
"The John Adams Administration." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Online Edition. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
John Adams Life: October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826, born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Terms of Office: March 4, 1797 - March 4, 1801 (1 term)
Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (1797-1801)
Political Party: Federalist
I would give our second president, John Adams, a B- because of how he handled the situations that were thrown at him, such as the issues between the United States, Great Britain and France; and the legislations, whether they were good or bad, that he passed. Moreover, he did what he thought was right for the country instead of doing what would make him a popular political figure. To illustrate, Adams attempted to make a peace treaty with France even though many people, inculding a part of his cabinet, frowned upon it. Therefore, even though he was greatly unpopular by the end of his term, he deserves this rating for his decision-making skills and ability to take control of bad circumstances.
The most important goal that John Adams tried to accomplish had to do with the foreign relations with France and Great Britain. Adams, unlike his opponent Jefferson, saw France as the larger threat to the United States, and despite many Federalists' views, he wanted to make peace with France, not war. At first, he was unsuccessful in this goal because of the fact that the French demanded $250,000 before they would even consider trying to make something work between the two countries. At this point, it seemed as though Adams had failed, especially since he immediately began preparing for a war when he heard of the news. The Republicans, however, wanted to see the documents that described the meeting, since they thought he was overreacting. It became known as the XYZ Affair because he substituted the three frenchmen's names with these letters. Americans were outraged and wanted to go to war with France, but since they were unprepared for a war, Adams decided he still wanted to try for peace. Adams then sent a second peace committee to Paris where France agreed to neutrality in the bodies of water and release the U.S. from their agreement they made from the Revolution. America, in turn, made France one of their trading partners, which evidently sealed the deal and made Adams' goal successful. His two other goals were much smaller and less referred to in history. The first was, like so many of the first presidents, to strengthen the federal government and the entire government system itself. This goal is extremely hard to tell if he succeeded in contributions considering the first several presidents were all working towards the same goal. The second of the smaller goals was that Adams wanted to have the Federalist Party more powerful than the Republican Party, just like most presidents worked to make their political parties stronger. He completely failed in this goal, due to the fact that he actually divided the Federalist Party into two distinct groups by the end of his term.
For the most part, John Adams had a relatively good relationship with his Congress due to their political parties and the bills they sent for approval. John Adams never once vetoed a bill during his term in office due to his firm belief in separation of powers. Not only that, but there was a slight majority of Federalists in both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the time. He signed the Alien and Sedation Acts in 1798 which made it more difficult for immigrants to become citizens, enabled the president to get rid of any "alien" thought of as dangerous, allowed him to gather and put "aliens" in prison while at war, and anyone who bashed the government would be fined or imprisoned; however, all parts were either repealed or expired by 1802. The other bills he endorsed included federal taxes on property, several naval ideas, the Judiciary Act and the Logan Act. The Judiciary Act of 1801 was passed after Adams knew he was not reelected. Basically, it ensured that Republicans would have a balance of powers, due to the now overwhelming number of Federalists in the Judiciary. The Logan Act, which states that individuals may not negotiate on behalf of the United States without the government's consent still remains in effect today. Overall, due to the fact that Adams' own party was dominant in Congress, though not by much, and he did not veto any bill that passed through, it can be presumed that he had a relatively decent connection with his Congress.
John Adams is considered to be one of the least remembered presidents in United States history; however, he did make some decisions for the country that had both constructive effects and unhelpful ones. I would say the most positive outcome of a decision made by John Adams would be his choice of making peace with France. Although this selection split his political party two different ways, it had the effects of avoiding a war and that Thomas Jefferson was able to make the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Considering the young nation had just declared itself as a country about twenty years before, it was not a good idea to get involved in warfare. John Adams evidently saw this issue, which is why he decided to pursue peace. Furthermore, had Adams not made this important judgment without his political party, the Louisiana Purchase would never have been made from the French. Jefferson's timing of the negotiations with the French were impeccable, but not possible if not for Adams. Had the United States been at war with France, it would have either been still happening or the countries' relationship with one another would have been tense. Either way, Jefferson could not have made the purchase, therefore shrinking the present size of America by 530,000,000 acres of land. Evidently, these were a good results of Adams' decisions that he made about France.
Despite the clear evidence of Adams' success with some decisions, he made some poor ones as well. For example, he signed off on the Alien and Sedation Acts in 1798. These acts were crude and extremely unconstitutional due to the recently added amendments (the Bill of Rights). For the most part, the Alien Act was discrimination seeing as they were mainly aimed at Jeffersonians (followers of Thomas Jefferson, Democratic-Republicans). This is because when people immigrated to the U.S., they were mostly of lower-class, whereas Federalists were upper-class. The Federalists did not usually allow these immigrants to join their political party, so the newcomers became Democratic-Republicans. The Sedation Act stripped the new Americans of their freedom of speech and the press. If a citizen was caught discussing or writing negative comments about the government, they could be fined or even face a prison sentence. Though he did not draw up the documents and send them to Congress, John Adams never once vetoed anything sent to him. This implies that he did, in fact, approve the idea. If he had not signed off on it, it may not have overridden, therefore never put into effect in the first place. As one can see from the listed evidence, John Adams made both decisions with beneficial and disadvantageous consequences.
A decision made by John Adams that affected the future people of America was to help create the United States navy department. Clearly, the navy department still exists today and protects our borders by ocean and sea. Many more boat or ship attacks might have been present throughout history if it were not for the creation of this department. Legislation was also passed to develop the size and capabilities of the navy. Ultimately, Adams wanted the United States to be less dependent on Great Britain and be able to defend ourselves against enemies (at that time France). In the establishment of the navy department, he also created another job in the presidential cabinet, which obviously affected at least forty people in the sense that it was their job at some time or another. If Adams had not expanded the navy many men and women may not have been employed and/or the country could have been under constant attack from all water-bound sides. The Navy, though something we may take for granted, is very important in our nation today.
Primarily, the United States was better off with John Adams serving one term as our second president. He made many good contributions to the devolopment of the country, especially setting up the "mood" for the Louisiana Purchase. Some historians say that Adams may have been elected for another term as president had he not upset his party (mainly Alexander Hamilton) by creating peace with the French. By doing so, Adams actually killed any shot of him being reelected. However, we, as a country, needed this peace in order to gain the land we did from the Louisiana Purchase. His presidency was mostly positive, except the Alien and Sedation Acts of 1798. Since an excessive amount was not accomplished during his term, these Acts pulled his overall rating from about an A- to a B-.
Bibliography
"Adams, John (1735–1826)."Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. Leonard W. Levy and Kenneth L. Karst, eds. 2nd ed. 6 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
Bailey, Thomas A., Lizabeth Cohen, and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 12 ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print.
Degregorio, William A.. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents). 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.
"The John Adams Administration." Presidential Administration Profiles for Students. Online Edition. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/.
"Louisiana Purchase, 1803." U.S. Department of State. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/jd/14321.htm.
Picture- http://naturalpatriot.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/johnadams.jpg